Hair-pin.



J. HUGHES.

HAIR PIN.

APPLICATION FILED Pmm, 1910.

mmf/WOR UN1TED..-sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

Josera atenas, or Naw roux, N. Y,

Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

To all whom z't may concern.'

Be -it .known that 1I, Josnrn Huelma, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city Aof New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hairl as Pins, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad tothe accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in hair-pins in which means are provided, essentially automatic in operation, for clasping the arms of the hair-pin-upon the hair; and the objects of my improvement arelst. To provide a hair-pin having spring qualities, adapted to clasp and nnclasp the hair. 2nd. To provide means for clasping the hair which will be operated automatically by the same movement that inserts the hair-pin in the hair. 3rd. That will automatically release the hair when the hair-pin is to be withdrawn; and 4th. To provide a simple, inexpensive and efficientI construction, with the fewest parts, and of great durability.

. Other objects will appear from the herein- 'after description.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a. side view of my improved hair-pinin its closed position, as for'clasping the hair when the hair-pin is in place; Fig. 2 shows the movable slide; Fig. 3 shows the gripping arms without the slide; Eig. 4 shows, like Fig. 1, the com lete hair-pin, with the slide in position to t row the arms open when the pin is rea-dy to be inserted in the hair.

In the drawings A denotes the hair-pin body, preferably made from a. single p1ece of resilient wire, comprising two straight parallel arms a-a, the spring bend B, and the loopA portion embracing the hair, the members of which are wider apart toward the bend B than farther toward the point, and which gradually7 afpproach each other for perhaps a thir o the length of the hair-pin and are straight in that part.

D is a slide, horeshoe in form, having its ends c lindrical and hollow, and the bend thereo preferably semi-circular in crosssection, adapted to slide u and ,down the straight pieces C and C an to fit snugly in the bend B of the hair-pin when the hairpin is in place in the hair as shown in Fig. 1.

The material of which the arms and bend of my improved hair-pin are made, as separately shown in Fig. l, is preferably steel wire, brass wire, or other metallic wire having. good elastic properties, such that the bend B may close the arms upon the hair in a 4manner to clasp the hair and securely hold the hair-pin in place; and the slide D is of such Width that the end arms of the hair-pin are thereby held apart when the slide is in the position shown in Fig. 4.

The operation of my improved hair-pin is as follows: The slide ismoved toward the point, thereby holding the points and the end arms open, for the reason that the two lines formed by the portion of the arms nearest the bend are not parallel, but normally converge for a distance as shown in the drawings. As the pin is pushed in the hair, the hair moves the slide back upon the bend B, and the points are thereby made to close, because the arms G-C diverge toward the bend B and the slide D when snug against the bend B and the spring draw the arms together. My improved hair-pin may be thrust into the hair as readily as an ordinary hair-pin, and requires for its perfect operation only to move the slide toward the points before inserting the hair-pin in the hair. Thereupon, the same thrust that puts the hair-pin in place in the hair clasps the inclosed lock of hair between the arms of the hair-pin automatically, and thus prevents loss of the hair-pin by accidental falling out. In withdrawing the hair-pin from the hair, the slide may be moved toward the points with one finger -of the same hand that lays hold of the hair-pin, and it may be withdrawn without moving the slide.

As an article of manufacture my improved hair-pin may be constructed altogether by machine work, the slide fitted upon the hair-pin, and the midway bend in the arms afterward made by another movement of an automatic: machine, whereupon the article is complete. It is seen to be of low cost and may be strong, light'. and durable.

Various changes in thel form, pro ortion and construction may be made wit in the limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my mvention.

Having now described my invention, what H o I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. A hair-pin without projecting parts when in the coiffure, composed of two arms united by a bend, spaced farther apart near the bend, and made to be normally nearer together for apart of the length of the arms; a slide conforming to the shape of the bend adapted to move along the arms and to open the .arms when at a distance from the bend, and to close them when at the bend, and adapted to be embedded in the coilure out of sight when in operative position.

2. A hair-pin without projecting parts when in the coiffure, comprising two arms united by an elastic bend, spaced farther apart near the bend, and made to be nearer together for a part of the length of the arms, a slide conforming to the shape of the bend adaptedl to move along the arms and to open the arms when at a distance from the bend, and in coperation with the elastic bend to close the arms when at the bend, and adapted to be embedded in the'coifure out of sight when in operative position.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at thefcity, county and State of New York, this 11th day of February, 1910.

' JOSEPH HUGHES.

In presence of- FRANK EUFEMIA, JOHN J. RANAGAN. 

